Restrictions and prohibitions for goods carried with traveller
RESTRICTIONS ACCORDING TO GROUPS OF GOODS
Food products
- From the Member States of the EU, from Norway, Andorra, San Marino, Switzerland and Liechtenstein animal products may be brought along in reasonable quantities for personal consumption.
- From the Faroe Islands, Iceland, Greenland and Croatia meat and milk products, and other animal products (e.g. honey, live oysters, mussels and snails) may be brought along up to 10 kg per person. Fish and fishery products may be brought along from Croatia and Greenland up to 20 kg; and from Faroe Islands and Iceland in reasonable quantities for personal consumption.
- From other non-EU countries:
- meat and milk products are prohibited from bringing along (infant food and dietary foods for special medical purposes in original unopened packaging are allowed only in the quantity up to 2 kg per person)
- other animal products, e.g. honey, live oysters, mussels or snails may be brought along in the quantity up to 2 kg per person (only from the authorised countries)
- fish and fishery products, incl. shrimps and prawns, lobsters, dead oysters and mussels, fish roe, except caviar (sturgeon roe) may be brought along in the quantity up to 20 kg per person
- From all countries it is allowed to bring along food products of non-animal origin (sweets, chocolates, biscuits, cakes) for personal consumption in reasonable quantities.
Pets (dogs, cats, ferrets)
Upon travelling into Estonia with pets the animals must have:
- a microchip or tattoo
- a pet animal passport or certificate
- been vaccinated against rabies (coming from certain countries, a blood test is required)
More than five pets are considered a commercial quantity and therefore a written customs declaration is to be submitted upon arriving from non-EU countries, animals must be brought in through the approved border crossing points, they must have a veterinary certificate and pass a veterinary check at the border.
Further information from the Veterinary and Food Board, phone: +372 605 1710.
Tobacco products
From the Member States of the EU it is allowed to bring along, exempt from taxes, for personal consumption:
- 800 cigarettes
- 400 cigarillos, weighing up to 3 g a piece
- 200 cigars
- 1 kg of smoking tobacco
- 1 kg of chewing tobacco
From non-EU countries it is allowed to bring along, exempt from taxes, for personal consumption:
- 40 cigarettes or*
- 100 cigarillos or*
- 50 cigars or*
- 50 g of smoking tobacco or*
- 50 g of chewing tobacco*
* The exemption may be applied to any combination of tobacco products, provided that the aggregate of the percentages used up from the individual allowances does not exceed 100%. Example of combination: 20 cigarettes (50% out of 40) + 25 cigars (50% out of 50).
Alcohol
From the Member States of the EU it is allowed to bring along, exempt from taxes, for personal consumption:
- wines up to 90 litres, including sparkling wines up to 60 litres
- beers up to 110 litres
- strong alcoholic beverages up to 10 litres (with more than 22% vol. alcohol)
- other alcoholic beverages not previously mentioned up to 20 litres (with up to 22% vol. alcohol)
From non-EU countries it is allowed to bring along, exempt from tax, for personal consumption:
- wines up to 4 litres
- beers up to 16 litres
- in addition 2 litres of alcoholic beverages with alcoholic strength up to 22% (including sparkling wine, liqueur wine), or 1 litre of strong alcoholic beverages (with alcoholic strength exceeding 22% vol. alcohol)*
* The exemption may be applied to any combination of the types of alcohol and alcoholic beverages referred to in the last sub-clause, provided that the aggregate of the percentages used up from the individual allowances does not exceed 100%. Example of combination: 1,5 l of alcoholic beverage (strength up to 22% vol.) representing 75% of the allowance of 2 l + 0,25 l of alcoholic beverage (strength exceeding 22% vol.) representing 25% of the allowance of 1 l form altogether the total allowance of 100%.
Motor fuel
At arrival to Estonia from the Member States of the EU a traveller is allowed to bring along in his or her motor vehicle fuel exempt from excise duty:
- in a standard tank of a motor vehicle (incl. standard service tank of a motorised water craft) which is used in that vehicle or craft to reach the destination
- in addition to the fuel in the standard tank, it is allowed to bring along motor fuel in the quantity to be used for non-commercial purposes only
At arrival to Estonia from non-EU countries a traveller is allowed to bring along in his or her motor vehicle fuel exempt from excise duty:
- motor fuel in the quantity that the standard fuel tank of a motor vehicle can hold (incl. standard service tank of a motorised water craft) for consumption in the same vehicle and is required for reaching the destination
- up to 10 litres, in addition to the quantity held in the standard fuel tank of a motor vehicle, within one day, per one motor vehicle for consumption in the same vehicle upon fi rst entry in Estonia
Motor fuel exempt from excise duty may be used only in the vehicle which is used for bringing in fuel, while any removal or transfer of fuel out of the vehicle is prohibited. Exemption from excise duty shall not be applicable, if the behaviour of the holder of a vehicle reveals that the fuel is brought in for commercial purposes.
Plants and plant products
A traveller may bring along from non-EU countries:
- 5 plants (incl. trees and bushes)
- 3 kg of citrus fruits
- 5 kg of fruit and vegetables
- 20 cut flowers or sprays or a single bouquet or wreath made thereof
- 5 house plants
- 2 kg of flower bulbs or tubers
- 5 retail packages of seeds, each weighing 5 grams
Potatoes, soil and the following plants are not allowed to bring along without a phytosanitary certificate: serviceberry, flowering quince, cotoneaster, hawthorn, quince, Japanese medlar, apple, common medlar, firethorn, pear, mountain ash, photinia; citrus, kumquat, poncirus, grapevine as well as cut flowers and pot plants of chrysanthemum, carnation and orchid.
There are no quantitative restrictions for travellers arriving from the EU Member States.
Further information from the Estonian Agricultural Board, phone: +372 671 2602.
Endangered animal and plant species
From non-EU countries the specimens of endangered species of wild fauna and flora, as well as parts thereof and goods manufactured from them may be brought along only when accompanied by appropriate CITES permits.
Presentation of the permit is not required for the following items brought along in a traveller’s luggage:
- caviar of sturgeon and paddlefish species (Acipenseriformes spp.) – up to 125 g
- rain sticks made of cacti (Cactaceae spp.) – up to 3 pcs.
- products made of crocodile (Crocodylia spp.) – up to 4 pcs.
- giant conches (Strombus gigas) – up to 3 pcs.
- giant clams (Tridacna) – up to 3 pcs. or 3 kg
- seahorse (Hippocampus sp.) – up to 3 dead species
Further information from the Ministry of the Environment, phone: +372 626 2882.
Medicinal products
A maximum of ten different pharmaceutical preparations, a maximum of ten retail packages each, may be carried for personal use of a traveller, and a maximum of five different pharmaceutical preparations, a maximum of three retail packages each, may be carried for animals accompanying the traveller without the authorisation of the State Agency of Medicines. The size of the retail package shall be a maximum of 100 units of solid dosage forms, 500 g of powder for solution, 50 g of homeopathic granules, 500 ml of solution for infusion and oral solution, 10 ampoules or vials of injectable dosage forms, 200 ml or 200 g of medicinal products for external use, 100 g of herbal substances, 120 doses of inhalation preparations, 10 units of medicated plasters. Medicinal products must be in producer’s packaging.
Narcotic or psychotropic medicinal products may be brought along without a permit of the State Agency of Medicines in quantity of 1 single package for retail sale consisting of up to 20 dosage units. The medicinal products must be accompanied with a notice from a physician, in case of animals with a notice from a veterinarian, or with a copy of a prescription certifying the need for the medicinal product.
If a person having the permanent residence in a State Party to the Schengen Convention wishes to travel to the territory of another State Party to the Schengen Convention, he or she must have a certificate with him or her issued in his or her state of residence in compliance with the form given in Article 75 of the Schengen Convention for any narcotic or psychotropic medicinal product he or she has brought along. In Estonia the State Agency of Medicines is issuing the above stated certificates.
Further information from the State Agency of Medicines, phone: +372 737 4140.
Weapons and ammunition
Travellers arriving from non-EU countries are allowed to carry weapons and ammunition for personal use, if they have an acquisition permit and a single special permit from the Estonian Police and Border Guard Board with them.
Travellers will have the right to travel between the EU Member States with weapons and ammunition if they have a "European firearms pass" bearing a permit issued by the competent national authority. If the objective of a travel is shooting sports or hunting, a "European firearms pass" and an invitation are required.
Further information from the Estonian Police and Border Guard Board, phone: +372 612 3300.
Objects of cultural value
The export permit from the National Heritage Board is needed for exportation of cultural goods from Estonia.
Further information from the National Heritage Board, phone: +372 640 3018.
Explosives and pyrotechnical products
A traveller (at least 18 years of age) may bring from the European Economic Area (EEA) into Estonia pyrotechnics of Class I and II, the authorisation for use of which is registered in the registry of the Estonian Technical Surveillance Authority in quantity up to 2 kg. An import licence is required for bringing explosives from third countries into Estonia.
Further information from the Estonian Technical Surveillance Authority, phone: +372 667 2000.
Cash
Each traveller entering or leaving the EU and having cash in the amount of 10,000 euros or more with him/her must submit a cash declaration to the Customs. Cash and coins, cheques (including traveller’s cheques), bonds, postal orders, and shares are deemed to be cash.
TRAVELLERS ARE NOT ALLOWED TO CARRY ACROSS THE CUSTOMS FRONTIER:
- dangerous cut-and-thrust weapons, firearms and electric shock devices, as well as ammunition, prohibited for civilian purposes
- counterfeit goods, i.e. various consumer goods, such as clothes, footwear, watches, clocks and the like, bearing a falsified trade mark
- pirated goods, including pirated copies of CDs and DVDs, computer programmes and games
- narcotic and psychotropic substances
- indecent or pornographic materials featuring minors
- alien species endangering fundamental ecological balances
Carriage of prohibited goods across the customs frontier is a customs offence that will bring about a fine or a seizure.
Customs authorities have the right to seize the prohibited and undeclared goods!
ATTENTION! The list of prohibited and restricted goods is not complete.
In order to avoid misunderstandings it is reasonable to learn about the requirements of the country of destination already before the travel and ask further information from the embassy of a destination country, local customs authorities, the customs information or customs officers performing customs formalities.
For further information please take contact:
+372 880 0814, tolliinfo
emta.ee
From Monday to Thursday
from 8.30 till 16.30
On Friday from 8.30 till 15.30
Tip phone: +372 800 4444
E-mail: vihjeemta.ee
Member States of the EU: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom
State Parties to the Schengen Convention: Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the Netherlands
European Economic Area (EEA) countries: 27 Member States of the EU plus 3 EFTA countries (Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein)
January 2012